Director Andrea Souza hung a painting by Ulick Mahoney at Harbor Gallery at UMass-Boston.
(Evan Richman/Globe Staff)
Dorchester
With multi-dimensional canvases and an eclectic palette of acrylic paints, marble dust, and sand, the abstract art of Rhode Island-based painter Ulick Mahoney is anything but typical.
But it fits in well with the Harbor Gallery at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. Mahoney is the latest innovative artist to showcase his work at the gallery, a student-run hidden gem that has become a magnet not just for local talents, but talents abroad.
"When I took over the gallery almost two years ago, I had a plan to really update the space, show cutting-edge artists, and reintroduce the gallery to the university community," said gallery director and recent UMass-Boston graduate Andrea Souza.
Mahoney's exhibit, slated to have its opening reception Jan. 29, will be the artist's first show in two years. The exhibition will showcase some of the nearly 200 pieces Mahoney has created over the last 2 1/2 years, following a creative epiphany that enabled him to produce paintings at a torrid pace.
Mahoney made his connection to the gallery by coincidence, having been introduced to Souza through a mutual friend, Liz Doles, a UMass-Boston student and artist. Doles, whose photography was featured in a Harbor Gallery exhibit last year, recommended Mahoney, a self-described "wild Boston Irish Catholic painter," who was living in Providence. Following an exchange of e-mails, Souza made the trip to Mahoney's home and studio in Rhode Island and instantly fell in love with his work.
"When I went to his studio, I talked with Ulick about his work and the direction it was going," said Souza. "He had this creative explosion and had about a hundred new paintings in this new, established style."
For the past five months, Souza has worked with Mahoney in preparing for the exhibit.
"At 57 and with not the greatest résumé of showing, I still have art that is as fresh to me as it was 36 years ago," said Mahoney.
"This will be my biggest show ever."
"Abstract painting - like mine in this show - comes from the heart. The paintings speak for themselves. I have had my midlife crisis, and the best painting is yet to come. I'm challenging the snobbishness of the Boston art world. People declare artists make it after they're dead, but I have many years of painting ahead."
Mahoney will join the growing list of distinctive talents who have recently been showcased at the gallery.
In November, it featured Fionán O'Connell, a Dublin-based photographer whose work had been shown in the gallery back in 1994. O'Connell's exhibition, titled "In the Heart of the Hibernian Metropolis," showcased a vibrant collection of color photographs reflecting Irish culture.
Earlier in 2007, Modou Dieng, a Senegal-born artist who teaches at the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Ore., had an exhibition. Dieng, who strives to represent his culture through his artwork, displays a wide-ranging style that includes collage art of records, neckties, and basketballs.
In the spring, Souza is looking into bringing the controversial Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens to campus for a performance. Based in San Francisco, Sprinkle and Stephens have gained worldwide attention for their project, "Love Art Laboratory," providing audiences with provocative performance art that explores sexuality.
Additionally, David Curcio, out of the Ningyo Editions studio in Watertown, will showcase a collection of collaged prints in March, as the gallery strives to promote the local art scene as well.
For Souza, whose responsibilities as gallery director range from fixing the walls between shows to writing press releases, bringing in artists such as Mahoney and Dieng is critical for the gallery's success.
And though Souza is scheduled to leave her position of director next month, the gallery aims to continue the trend she has fostered, adhering to a mission of creating an "awareness and understanding of our diverse world with art as a catalyst for conversation."
"Even though the Harbor Gallery is a university gallery, we only show students' work once, maybe twice, a year," said Souza.
"We use the rest of the time finding artists who we believe will prove beneficial to the university community and speak to its diverse groups."
The Harbor Gallery is in the McCormack building at UMass-Boston, 100 Morrissey Blvd., Dorchester. The exhibit will run from Jan. 29 to Feb. 20, free of charge. Further information is available by calling 617-287-7988.
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